Pushing the Envelope to Near-Zero Emissions on Light-duty Gasoline Vehicles

The integration of advanced emission control technologies including advanced three-way catalysts and advanced, high cell density, ultra-thin wall substrates with advanced gasoline powertrains and advanced engine controls is necessary to achieve near-zero tailpipe emission requirements like California's SULEV or PZEV light-duty certification categories. The first gasoline vehicles meeting these near-zero regulations have been introduced in California in 2001. Advanced three-way catalysts targeted for these near-zero regulations feature layered architectures, thermally stable oxygen storage components, and segregated precious metal impregnation strategies. Engine calibration strategies focused on tight stoichiometric air/fuel control and fast catalyst heat-up immediately after engine start are important enablers to achieve near-zero hydrocarbon and NOx emissions.